Stockman unhappy with immigration plan

1/28/13 6:18 PM EST

Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) isn’t pleased with the bipartisan immigration plan the Gang of Eight rolled out on Monday.

“The Senate’s proposed plan does not fix our nation’s broken immigration system,” Stockman said in a statement. “It rewards law breaking and encourages a new flood of illegals, perpetuating the very problems it claims to solve. Our nation’s failed experiments with amnesty have proven it only encourages more illegals willing to wait it out for their turn at free citizenship.”

Republican opposition was expected to the plan’s proposal to allow the 11 million undocumented workers already in the country to obtain legal status.

But Stockman, who represents a southeast Texas district, argued the bill “insults” Hispanics already in the country.

“The surge of illegals also strains relations with legal Hispanic citizens, many of whom come from families who have been in the United States longer than most white residents,” Stockman said in the statement.

Stockman also argued that the current undocumented workers living in the country “tremendous burden” on state and local governments, though he cited no examples.

“The crush of illegals have bankrupted local governments, shut down hospitals, overwhelmed schools and crashed local economies, hurting largely Hispanic citizens,” Stockman said. “That failure has fueled the growth of violent gangs, like MS-13, that prey upon illegals and target the children of Hispanic citizens.”